USB flash drive technology has greatly changed the ability of a user to transport data from one system to another. A USB flash drive, also commonly referred to as a “disk on key” or “key drive” device, consists of a flash memory mass data storage device integrated with a USB (Universal Serial Bus) interface. USB flash drives are typically removable and rewritable, much smaller than a floppy disk, and weigh less than an ounce.
USB ports, used for connecting flash drives, appear on almost every current mainstream PC and laptop. The USB mass storage standard is supported by modern operating systems such as Windows, Mac OS X, Unix-like systems.
Because of their ease of use and their ubiquity, flash drives present a significant security challenge. They enable unscrupulous persons to smuggle confidential data with little chance of detection. Also, computers are vulnerable to attackers who connect a flash drive to a USB port and introduce malicious software into the computer system. USB flash drives may also be used unwittingly to transfer malware, which can wreak havoc upon an otherwise secure network.
As a result, some organizations have forbidden the use of flash drives. Some companies have configured their computers to disable the insertion of flash drives; others use administration software to control flash drive use. For example, a security solution could be to disconnect USB ports inside the computer or to fill the USB sockets with epoxy.
The above-described security problems can also result from the use of other mass storage devices, such as disk drives and CD-ROM drives. In general, the increasing ease of use and “plug and play” features of today's mass storage device also makes their misuse easier.